Ruan Tang's heartbeat inexplicably accelerated. At first, she didn't think much of it. After all, her grandmother's old house only had two rooms, and the heated brick beds inside weren't very big. The three of them—she, Ruan Lan, and her daughter Yiyi—definitely wouldn't fit, especially since Xu Yiyi loved to sleep splayed out like a starfish. She took up a lot of space! And they certainly couldn't let Xu Lai sleep with Ruan Lan, so she had subconsciously made the arrangements this way.

But her sister's teasing made Ruan Tang feel compelled to explain, "I didn't mean anything by it. Don't overthink it."

"I know." Xu Lai nodded, suddenly leaning close to his wife and smiling. "Are you blushing?"

How could Ruan Tang admit that? "No!"

"Really?" Xu Lai looked amused. "But I can hear your heart beating very fast. Hmm... now it's even faster."

"You're talking nonsense!" Ruan Tang was flustered, but she didn't believe Xu Lai could actually hear her heartbeat.

"Fine, I'm talking nonsense. Let's get some sleep," Xu Lai said, not explaining further.

After they washed up, Ruan Tang turned off the light and discovered a problem—there was only one blanket.

Just as she was about to get off the bed to find another, Xu Lai suddenly lay down behind her.

"Xu Lai, you... you..." Ruan Tang's body went stiff. Could Xu Lai be harboring inappropriate thoughts? If he is... what should I do?

While her mind was at war with itself, she heard Xu Lai say, "I'm just covering you with the blanket."

After pulling the blanket over Ruan Tang, Xu Lai settled back down into his spot.

"..."

Ruan Tang felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her head, and she was instantly wide awake. Her face was burning, but not from shyness. It was from the shame of her own presumptuous thoughts.

Ruan Tang, oh Ruan Tang, what were you expecting just now? And why are you so disappointed? she thought, pinching herself hard in annoyance.

Women were strange creatures sometimes. When a man made a move, she would get nervous. When a man behaved himself, she would feel like something was wrong.

Just like now. Ruan Tang thought about it. Whether they were living in their original apartment or had moved to Haitang Court, Xu Lai was only occasionally flirtatious. Most of the time, he was quite proper. He wasn't like he was on that night five years ago. Although she had been the one to drunkenly start flirting with him, Xu Lai had completely taken over from there. But now...

Ruan Tang reached out a finger and lightly touched Xu Lai's arm. "Xu Lai," she said cautiously, "I want to ask you something. Don't get mad, okay?"

"Ask away."

"Is there... a problem with you in that department? Or did your sexual orientation change over the last five years?"

Moonlight filtered through the window, illuminating Ruan Tang's face. Seeing his wife's incredibly serious expression, dark lines appeared on Xu Lai's forehead.

What on earth is this woman thinking? He was acting like a gentleman because he respected her.

But Xu Lai's silence seemed to confirm something for Ruan Tang, and her expression grew complicated. It made sense, she thought. It wasn't hard for a man to be a Liu Xiahui once, but if he acted like that every time, something had to be wrong.

"Ruan Tang, do you have any idea you're playing with fire?" Xu Lai sat up, looking at her eyes, which glinted in the darkness. "Never try to provoke a man," he said sternly.

Ruan Tang said meaningfully, "A *man*, you say..."

This time, Xu Lai didn't reply with words. He responded with action.

* * *

「The next day.」

While they were getting ready in the morning, Ruan Lan, toothbrush and cup in hand, yawned and asked, "Sis, why do you have dark circles? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Ruan Tang was speechless. She indeed hadn't slept well. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she shot a fierce glare at Xu Lai.

That bastard!

Xu Lai's actions had thoroughly disproven her doubts from the night before. Although he had stopped just shy of third base, the memory of his teasing expression made Ruan Tang want to find a hole and crawl into it.

Biting her lip, she muttered, "Men are the worst."

Xu Lai's mouth twitched. If he acted like a gentleman, his orientation was questioned. If he took the initiative, he was the worst. Being a man is so hard!

He couldn't help but walk over to Ruan Tang and whisper, "Next time, I won't let you off so easily."

BANG!

Ruan Tang stomped hard on Xu Lai's foot. With a smile that didn't reach her eyes, she said, "There won't be a next time!"

After a simple breakfast, the group of four headed up the mountain to White Mountain, the village's cemetery. Burial was now prohibited, but many local villagers had been laid to rest here in the past. After winding their way up the mountain, they finally arrived at a gravesite surrounded by many others.

"This is Grandma's grave. Over here are the graves of her father and mother," Ruan Tang said, her expression somewhat distant as she took out joss paper and candles and set them down. She then knelt with Yiyi to kowtow, murmuring, "Grandma, I've brought my daughter to see you."

The memorial ritual wasn't complicated, but the atmosphere was somber.

"Let's wait over there. Let my sister talk to Grandma alone for a while," Ruan Lan said softly, seeing the redness in Ruan Tang's eyes.

"Okay." After lighting three sticks of incense, Xu Lai took Yiyi's hand and stood a short distance away.

"Daddy, does everyone die?" Xu Yiyi suddenly asked, tilting her little face up.

Xu Lai nodded grimly. "Yes. Not just people—every living thing will one day die."

"Then... will Daddy and Mommy also..." Xu Yiyi gripped Xu Lai's hand tightly, her voice shrinking to a whisper. "Will you leave Yiyi too?"

Xu Lai was silent for a moment. He chose not to deceive his daughter. Crouching down, he said, "Yes. But Yiyi, you don't need to be sad. Death is just another beginning for life."

"I don't want Daddy and Mommy to leave," Xu Yiyi said, shaking her head, tears shimmering in her eyes.

Xu Lai ruffled his daughter's hair, smiling without another word.

A person lives for a lifetime; grass and trees live for a season. Even a Cultivator who walked the path of cultivation to reach the Emperor Realm couldn't live forever, merely longer than most. But when you reach the end of the road and look back to find no one beside you, the loneliness is indescribable.

Ruan Lan recalled the small moments from her childhood when her grandmother had cared for her. Fighting back tears, she said to her niece, "Yiyi, you have to remember, being buried in the ground isn't really dying. The day you truly die is the day you're forgotten by everyone."

"So, Yiyi, every morning when you greet the sunrise, you have to work hard to remember the people and things you love. Keep them in your heart. That way, you'll never forget them, and they'll never really die. They'll live on inside you forever."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.